What to Include on Your Website If You Want to Attract New Clients
By Cheryl Roose

Now don’t get upset by what I say but try to see this from your clients point of view. Most websites I see it looks as though we in the industry are trying to impress each other with our talent rather than appealing to the clients who we are wanting to do business with. They are usually flooded with young pretty girls, thin girls, who have perfect hair and skin and are wearing suggestive clothing if any sporting hair no one would ever wear on the street. Being in the beauty industry I can truly appreciate and admire the artists talent but what does the client see and will this bring them through your door or intimidate them?

I also see salons trying to sell to the client by telling them how wonderful they are rather than giving the client what they want.

If you have a lot of clients and your public profile is all your website is designed for then by all means put up the flashy pictures of hairstyles and impress people with the talent of your team. But if your primary purpose is to attract clients with your site then build it to work for you How do you do this?

1. Know who you are looking to attract by knowing the profile of the person who will see value in being a client of your salon…your ideal client.
2. Capture their attention by giving them something they will value.
3. Gain their trust that you are the expert to care for their needs.

What to include with your strategy:

Include a very brief “tip” of the week so visitors see value in returning to your site. I know a salon blog can serve this purpose as well but clients don’t always spend enough time roaming your site to get the good stuff, offer it right there on the home page.

This “tip” when promoted right is your golden opportunity to subtly introduce them to your salon brand while giving them a piece of valuable information. For example; if your salon is famous for doing corrective color, share with your visitors just how a proper color consultation should be done to ensure client satisfaction. Be careful not to say “this is how we do it here” but adapt the tone of “look for this is the salon you choose to care for your tresses”.

Have an opt in box where you can collect their name and email address. These days people are reluctant to give out this information for a simple newsletter so you must make the offer so appealing that they can’t wait to get what you are offering. Again, if you have done the work to know your ideal client and position the offer as something they WANT, not need they will be happy to provide this information in exchange for the gift.

Your gifts could include hair and makeup photo shoots for company portfolios if you are attracting corporate clients. Couple massage lessons for the active dual income earner clients or a series of how to videos to keep the glow in aging skin.

*Remember when making your offer that it is purely a gift that you know will change their lives. Once you give them value they will be more inclined to buy from you and now that you have their name and email address you can follow up with salon specials, promotions and events that will bring them through the door.